


Starlight

by cheonsana



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2018-12-19 01:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11887233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheonsana/pseuds/cheonsana
Summary: Along the heavy fogs of uncertainties and apprehensions continuously clouding her path and vision, blocking any signs of light and hope for a new start, she stumbled upon her.She was lost.And now, she's found her light to guide her way back home.





	1. 01.

It’s been five months now ever since she decided to fly to Jeju and stay at their rest house in her mom’s resort.

 

It was supposedly just a week-long vacation, a short break from all the stress, work responsibilities, her constantly worrying mother, and all the memories left behind by her ex-girlfriend who broke up with her after a three-year relationship. There were lots of times where she had her pride crushed whenever she begged the girl to come back and failed miserably. It had a huge impact not only on her wellbeing, but it also started to affect the people around her—family, friends, co-workers, employees… she is _desperate_ for a break.

 

She’d already abused herself by making bad decisions one after another, by giving too much of herself to someone who wasn’t as willing, by doing the dumbest things just so she could be with someone who clearly doesn’t want her anymore. She questioned herself a lot, what did go wrong? Did she get too consumed by her work? Did the stress from work took a toll on her appearance? Was it the sex? Did she miss anything?

 

There weren’t any indications of future break-up the last time they were together. It was a fine night, they were out for a nice, quiet dinner, when she dropped the bomb _just like that._

 

_“This is not your fault. I wish I could give you an explanation but even I don’t have the answer.”_

 

_Her head hung low as tears slowly gathered in her eyes._

 

_“I woke up one day… only to realize that you’re not the one for me.”_

 

_She bit her lower lip, trying to hold herself together as much as she could._

 

_“I just don’t-_

 

_Please don’t say it._

 

_-love you anymore.”_

 

_A tear._

 

_“I’m sorry, Sana…”_

 

_Another._

 

_And another._

 

Five months have passed, and those words are still perfectly etched in her brain like a goddamn tattoo. Her scumbag of a brain never missed a chance to remind her of that day, with the clear sound of her cracking voice, with a vivid picture of her apologetic face stained with tears.

 

As per her psychologist’s advice, and also by her mom’s persuasion, Sana’s one-week vacation was extended, up until whenever she’s back on her feet again. Her mom suggested that Sana should take care of the resort while she’s there. She was against the idea of staying longer there—she’s very dedicated towards her work and she hates thinking how she’s letting _this_ affect her, her work, and the people who depend on her. It’s killing her to go back to Seoul and go on with her normal life, but they had a point. She cannot work properly with _this_ in her mind. She doesn’t want to be more of a headache to her employees and her dad’s company, considering that she’s on a high executive position. At least she can divert her workaholic self into managing the resort instead.

 

It was killing her that she let her feelings affect her this much. She detests herself for it. Sana’s not the type of person to crumble down just because of something stupid and dumb like feelings. But she did, and she never expected that it would be this bad, which makes it even more frustrating.

 

She didn’t expect it to take her this long to move on.

 

And if Sana’s going to be honest with herself, she isn’t quite there yet.

 

\--

 

“Alright, that’s a wrap! Good job, everyone,” Jinyoung, the band’s manager, exclaimed as he led an applause for his team. “Now huddle up, I’d like to give out some few notes for you to focus on before your performance.”

 

The band members, Dahyun, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung, settled their instruments down before approaching Jinyoung. Despite being damn stressed from rehearsing their sets, they mustered up the remaining energy they have left in their systems to listen. They’ve landed on their biggest gig yet, a beach festival in Jeju, and judging from the given setlist, there are going to be a lot of bands and some idol groups that would be performing so they are expecting a bigger crowd. There’s no way they’re gonna let this one go without making a good impression to the audiences and to more potential invites.

 

“Remember. Our flight to Jeju will be leaving at 7AM, and we’ll be arriving there probably around 8 or 9AM. So prepare all your things and instruments tonight before you guys go to sleep. I don’t want anyone being irresponsible. We are not going back to your apartment just because a certain someone forgot to bring something, okay?” Jinyoung noted, giving their acoustic guitarist, Dahyun, a stern look.

 

Dahyun just scratched her head and sheepishly replied, “Yes, oppa. In fact, I already packed everything I need yesterday. Chaeng and Jeong can both vouch for it!” she added, pointing to the two short-haired brunette sitting in front of her.

 

“Oh yeah, don’t worry Jinyoung oppa. Me and Jeongyeon even helped her, just in case she might be dumb enough again to forget her acoustic amp and all the other things that are essential for a week-long trip,” Chaeyoung, their cajon player, replied in an uninterested tone, who’s currently busy wiping her black Schlagwerk cajon. Jeongyeon just nodded in agreement. Dahyun just put on a goofy grin when Jinyoung seemed convinced enough.

 

“Alright. That’s all. Dang, it’s already 11PM. Go pack up and rest as much as you can. The van will pick you up from your flat by 5AM. Got it?”

 

The members gave a collective ‘yes’ before proceeding to cleaning up the studio. They made it quick just so they can already go home and take a well-deserved sleep. No one didn’t even mutter a word while packing up their things towards the van, too tired to even open their mouths.

 

Settling down to their seats, everyone fished out their phones and earphones to listen to their own music playlists before slipping into a quick nap while on the road.

 

\--

 

The gentle, chilly breeze of the beach at night never failed to calm Sana. It has been a routine—going out for a stroll on the seaside, a cold beer on hand, with her brown poodle named Waffles. As the cold sea water lightly approaches her feet along with some bits of sand, she would look up the night sky cluttered with a generous amount of shiny stars along with the perfectly bright, round moon. This is what she liked most about staying here—lesser air and light pollution, exposing the tiniest of stars. She’s always had an interest towards astronomy, although she did not pursue the field for her career. It’s something her and her dad had shared interests. When she was young, her dad would always bring her to a high, secluded area in a mountain near their neighbourhood, just overlooking the city of Seoul. They would camp out in there, bringing telescopes with them, and stargaze. Her dad would teach her some constellations and other heavenly bodies they could see, until she grew up and she would be the one correct her dad about it.

 

_(“Hey, look! That’s Saturn! Go grab the telescope so we can see its rings!”_

 

_“No, dad, that’s Jupiter. You can check your telescope and this digital sky map if you won’t believe me,” Sana stated with confidence. After some minutes spent bickering about who’s right, Sana had the last laugh, and the last packed sandwich.)_

 

The tranquillity the stars and the moon provide her remains unmatched. Whenever she looks at them, all her worries dissolves as her senses get blinded by the beauty of these heavenly bodies in the galaxy. Back in her apartment in Seoul, she bought a unit with large glass windows on the top floor so she can have a good view of the city and requested for a small customized ceiling window in her bedroom for a good night view.

 

“Hey, Waffles,” Sana called the little fella out, who was busy digging on the sand while chasing some tiny little crabs that run off due to disturbance. The dog’s ears perked up at the mention of its name, and ran to the source of it. Sana picked her up and pointed at the sky.

 

“I’m gonna give you a quick astronomy lesson. Look here. See that big, bright ball over there? That’s the moon. It reflects light from the sun so it could illuminate the earth at night. It can also affect the sea tides,” Sana stated with enthusiasm, in which the dog just responded with licking her hand.

 

“Don’t lose focus, Waffles! Now see that small shiny thing near the moon? That’s a planet called Venus, the second nearest planet to the Sun. Its atmosphere is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide, and a little bit of nitrogen and sulfuric acid. Awesome, right? We should’ve brought the telescope with us.”

 

Waffles only stuck her tongue out and answered with loud breaths, probably brought by all the chasing she did earlier. Sana sighed, and faced her palm.

 

“I’m talking and teaching a _dog_ some basic science knowledge. A _dog._ How sane,” Sana whispered to herself. She brought Waffles with her to Jeju, since she certainly can’t just let her be left alone in her apartment. She had the choice of dropping her off in her parents’, but she preferred to bring Waffles with her instead, so they spend some quality owner-pet time.

 

She brought Waffles down and let her run and play by herself. She trained the dog not to go too far away from her so she doesn’t have to tie her up in a branch or pole. Fishing out her cigarette box from the pocket of her university hoodie, she took one mint-flavored cigarette stick out and lighted it up with a silver lighter. Looking up, she blew the inhaled smoke out in the atmosphere as she was lost with her thoughts again.

 

_(“Okay, so if I can name five constellations right now, I earn a kiss, right?” the long-haired girl asked her with eagerness, earning a light chuckle from Sana._

 

_“Yeah, sure.”_

 

_“Okay. Here we go. That one’s the Taurus, then this one right here is the Gemini, while this one is… this one… Canis Major! And this—“_

 

_The girl was cut off by a sudden feeling of Sana’s lips gently pressing against hers. Pulling away, Sana cupped her cheeks and looked at the deep pools of her eyes._

 

_“Eunha, you know you don’t have to do any of that just for a kiss, right?”_

 

_Eunha responded with a pout. “But I wanted to impress you a little bit. I’ve learned a lot, you know?”_

 

_Sana smiled warmly. “Of course I do. But you’ve already impressed me just by existing and staying by my side for this long. I know I can be unbearable sometimes. Even I wouldn’t date myself in any kind of alternate universe. I don’t know how you do it, honestly.”_

 

_Under the bed of stars and moon that’s illuminating the rest of the earth, she then gave her a long, warm kiss, in which Eunha gladly responded.)_

 

As the wind danced and played with her silver hair, she also wished that the wind would take all these thoughts of _her_ away and dissolve it in the air, but she also knew that she could only rely on herself to try her best not to let any memory of her enter her system. Stupid brain letting the memory of stupid Eunha control over her stupid senses again.

 

_You look so damn pathetic right now, Sana. 5 months and you still think that maybe the stars would remind her of you? You’re unbelievably stupid! She dumped you for a reason, Sana. Stop living in your bubble of “what ifs” and “maybes” because there is none and she already made that pretty clear. Wake up._

 

It has always been the same thing that she says to herself. She laughed at her own musings, as she was struck by the reality that she’s the only one being left in this situation. No one but her. Everyone around her just continued on with their own paths and lives, while she’s stuck in _here_ , still unable to move because of the unbelievable weight she had on her ankles, and she can’t go on no matter how much she wanted to.

 

Taking one last drag, she put the fire off the cigarette and threw it in a nearby garbage can along with the can of Heineken, as she called the attention of the little furball and treaded towards the rest house.

 

\--

 

Fortunately, their manager was a very big dog person.

 

Dahyun and Jeongyeon argued about bringing Pancakes, a black and brown Chihuahua, with them to Jeju. They exchanged banters about things like “Who’s gonna feed it?” “Who’s gonna take care of it?” “Are you going to clean if it decides to poop everywhere in our room?” “WHAT IF SHE SMELLS?!” and a whole lot more complaints, mostly from Jeongyeon. Their problem had been given an answer when Dahyun called Jinyoung and asked him if she can bring Pancakes along, in which he responded with a “yes, of course!” enthusiastically. As the phone call ended, Dahyun gave Jeongyeon a smug grin indicating her win, while Jeongyeon just rolled her eyes off and continued with blow-drying her hair.

 

 

Meanwhile, Chaeyoung’s been busy watching ‘Monsters Inc.’ in their 32-inch HDTV, mindlessly digging inside the Pringles can she’s holding and munching on the snack simultaneously.

 

“Hey, have you guys seen my black baseball cap?” Dahyun inquired, only to be answered by silence. She was searching for it for thirty minutes now. Caps and snapbacks are one of her favourite accessories, and she doesn’t want to leave for a whole week without it.

 

Dahyun continued her search on the living room to ask Chaeyoung. “Chaeng, have you see my cap? The one I bought last week?”

 

No answer.

 

Chaeyoung is always like this whenever she’s busy doing something that concerns her interests. It’s like she shuts everything down and pours her focus on whatever she’s doing so she wouldn’t get disturbed. When she starts watching movies, playing games, or writing lyrics, it’d be like talking to air.

 

Dahyun took this opportunity to snatch a Pringle from her, but failed when Chaeyoung slapped her hand away just when she’s about to dig in.

 

“Ow! Why are you so damn selfish over a piece of Pringle?!” Dahyun screeched, clutching the back of her hand that’s now starting to get red.

 

“Every piece of Pringle inside this can is important for my wellbeing, Dahyun-ah. Don’t you know that by now? What a fake friend,” Chaeyoung replied calmly, her eyes not leaving the TV as the part where James was being choked by invisible Randall comes near. It is her favourite scene.

 

“Tsk. I bought a pack of Kisses by the way, and I’m not sharing any with you!” Dahyun retorted. She grabbed the remote near the end of the couch and turned the TV off right on Chaeyoung’s favourite scene as a revenge, which successfully got the latter’s attention, and is now glaring at her. Dahyun teasingly stuck her tongue out.

 

“GIVE ME THAT!” Chaeyoung yelled as she jumped from the couch, spilling the remaining Pringles from the can, and tackled Dahyun to reach for the remote. It would’ve been easy considering that there’s not much of a height difference between the two, but Dahyun moves like a hyperactive kid who just downed a whole bottle of Coke. She almost elbowed her in the process.

 

The commotion was halted when Jeongyeon walked towards them and being the tallest one, she easily snatched the remote from Dahyun’s hand and used it to smack the two’s heads.

 

“Stop playing around and start getting ready, kids. Jinyoung oppa’s already on his way here. Clean those Pringles up or I’m gonna tell oppa to hide your snacks,” Jeongyeon threatened. The two obeyed and proceeded to clean up the mess, only to see Pancakes, who came out of nowhere, chewing on the spilled Pringles.

 

“Oh wow, my dog got a taste of your precious snack and I didn’t. So much for being your friend,” Dahyun sourly commented.

 

“Just shut up and help me clean, this is your fault anyway.”

 

“Wait a minute—“

 

Turns out, Pancakes wasn’t interested with Chaeyoung’s favourite snack.

 

“MY CAP!”

 

\--

 

“Sana-sshi?”

 

Three knocks on the door were enough to wake Sana up for she is a light sleeper, but that doesn’t mean that the same amount is enough for her to get up and answer it. She pretended not to hear it at all and buried her head with a pillow to block her ears from any possible noise, and her face from the intruding sunlight seeping through the curtains.

 

The maid tried to knock once again and spoke softly. “Sana-sshi, I know you’re already awake, please answer the door. The staff called and told me that new visitors are about to arrive at the resort. You have to go to the lobby in around 15 minutes, max.”

 

Sana groaned and grumpily pushed herself up. “Yeah, will be out in a few minutes!” she groggily shouted back. She stood up and tied the curtains of her large glass window, exposing a breath-taking scenery of the beach. If she only has 15 minutes to get ready, then her ass better hurry.

 

She took a quick shower and put on a fresh set of underwear blow-drying her hair. She picked out a plain white long-sleeved blouse, a pair of dark blue high-waisted jeans, and a pair of flats to match her outfit. After tucking the white bloused inside the jeans, she sprayed on a little bit of perfume before heading out.

 

\--

 

“Wow.”

 

That was the first word that came out of their mouths as they arrived at the resort. Its architecture was modern and elegant, yet homey. It has three floors and a rooftop. The environment of the resort is really suitable for people who look for more than just a simple vacation—there were recreational areas, gym, and more facilities and services that offer a lot of activities ranging from fun and entertainment to peace and relaxation. Even the staffs are wearing proper uniforms that looked like those on five-star hotels. They could already tell that this is one of those expensive resorts rich and famous people go into.

 

“Jinyoung oppa, how the fuck did you manage to afford two rooms in this place?” Chaeyoung asked while looking around, appreciating every corner of the resort.

 

“You guys have worked so hard, and as your band’s anniversary gets near, here’s my present to you. Treat this gig as a vacation in disguise,” Jinyoung replied coolly while removing his sunglasses. The welcoming staff greeted them cordially as they walked towards the lobby.

 

“Everything in this resort is so damn magnificent. They also have two pools in here and another one on the rooftop,” Dahyun commented. “Look around Pancakes! It’s so beautiful, right?”

 

With the way the dog’s been waggling her tail, Pancakes seemed to be excited about the place too. Jeongyeon, on the other hand, was still slightly spacing out due to her interrupted sleep. She does appreciate the beauty of the place too, though.

 

“Welcome, guests. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Would it be okay for you to wait for a couple of minutes while we call the resort’s owner?” the receptionist greeted.

 

“Oh yeah sure,” he answered and took a seat on the comfortable couch, the three following right behind him. The view was wonderful and calming—the white sand, clear blue sea, and the soft crashing sound of the waves. Some other guests are already outside taking a morning swim, while others are relaxing while sunbathing.

 

Jeongyeon, who seemed to regain her senses back, smacked the back of Chaeyoung’s head.

 

“Stop ogling, Son. You’re too obvious even with those heavily tinted sunglasses, goddamn it,” she hissed. Chaeyoung just sheepishly rubbed the hit area and mouthed a ‘sorry’.

 

While they are examining the area further, the receptionist approached them once again. “Excuse me guests, the resort owner is already here.” She spoke in a soft voice.

 

“Miss Minatozaki, this is Sir Park Jinyoung and his band. They’ll be playing for the week-long beach festival, and they’ll be staying here until then,” the receptionist introduced. “Sir Park, this is Miss Minatozaki Sana, the owner of the resort.”

 

Despite being groggy still from the abrupt wake-up call, Sana bowed and greeted the guests with a warm and welcoming smile. “It’s a pleasure to have you and your band here, sir. Would you like us to ask our staff to help you with your luggage?”

 

“No, we got it from here. It’s not that much anyway,” Jinyoung replied.

 

“Alright. May I know the name of your band?” Sana politely asked.

 

“Hi, we are Resonance. We are a three-membered acoustic band. I’m Jeongyeon, the vocalist and band leader,” Jeongyeon responded with a smile, taking out her hand to shake which Sana courteously shook. “This is Chaeyoung, our cajon player,” Jeongyeon further introduced. “And—“

 

Dahyun cut her off and introduced herself. “Hello, I’m Dahyun. Acoustic guitarist.” She offered her right hand to shake since she’s holding her dog with the left one. “I see that you’re a Japanese?” she asked with a slightly weird Japanese accent.

 

“Yes. You speak Japanese too?” Sana asked in fluent Japanese while shaking her hand, which gave Dahyun goosebumps. _Her voice sounds so good,_ she thought.

 

“Uhm… actually that’s all I can remember from the Japanese class I took when I was in college so,” Dahyun sheepishly rubbed her nape and shyly gave the girl an awkward smile.

 

Sana gave a warm smile in return. “It’s okay. Nice to meet you all. Cute dog, by the way,” she added, patting Pancakes’ head. “I hope you can enjoy your week-long stay in our resort.” She then turned her attention back to Jinyoung. “Shall we run down a couple of agreements and details before anything?” she kindly asked.

 

“Yeah sure. Can they go start settling their luggage to their room now?”

 

“Of course,” she answered. “Jinkyung unnie, can you show them to their rooms, please?”

 

Jinkyung bowed and gestured the three to follow them while Sana and Jinyoung sat at the couch. While they were waiting for the elevator, Dahyun kept glancing and staring on the silver-haired woman. Well, she wasn’t wrong about thinking that everything in this place is beautiful, from the structure and vibe down to the owner itself.

 

_She seemed like she’s only in her early 20s, and she already owns a resort like this? What a successful woman._

 

Her thoughts were interrupted when Chaeyoung slapped her head with a rolled brochure.

 

“Stop ogling, Kim.”

 

Dahyun threw a ‘you-better-stop-that-or-I’m-gonna-elbow-you-in-the-gut’ look towards Chaeyoung. The latter just moved to Jeongyeon’s side to shield herself from the girl’s glare that seemed to bore holes through her soul. The elevator made a loud ‘ding’ and the doors opened, and as they entered the elevator, she gave one last glance to Sana, who was looking at their direction.

 

_Oh shit, did she catch me looking?_

 

The doors have closed, and she could only hope that Sana didn’t.

 

\--

 

The moment they entered the room, Jeongyeon immediately plopped herself on the bed. She was the earliest to get up than the two since she has to make sure to wake them up. And it was not exactly an easy task, because Dahyun and Chaeyoung both sleep like goddamn logs.

 

“I’m gonna continue my nap. Don’t you dare play pranks on me while I’m asleep, I have a list of revenges I can play on you,” Jeongyeon said in a low, tired voice. Being the ‘sleepyhead’ in the trio, she always gets played on by the two pranksters. From drawing vulgar things in her face and body with a permanent marker (mostly from Chaeyoung), to shouting false alarms (mostly from Dahyun), she had to always remind them not to disturb her, with a threat of course.

 

Dahyun brought Pancakes down to play with her dog toys, and properly arranged her clothes from her travel bag to the wardrobe while playing soft music on her phone’s speakers. Chaeyoung went outside to the terrace to appreciate the resort’s view from the third floor.

 

“I’m gonna save a lot of money and buy myself a place near a beach as beautiful and relaxing as this,” she commented, inhaling a good amount of fresh air in the process.

 

“Hey, don’t you think that the resort owner is like, around the same age as us? Or at least Jeongyeon? She seemed so young,” Dahyun asked out of nowhere after stacking the remaining clothes and shutting the wardrobe door close. Chaeyoung walked back inside the room and closed the sliding glass door before turning the aircon on.

 

“She does. Cool, right? Owning a resort like this at such early age. No wonder you got the hots for her,” Chaeyoung snickered.

 

“What? I do not!” Dahyun yelled in her defense, looking at Chaeyoung ridiculously. Yeah sure, that Sana girl is _so_ damn beautiful and attractive with her silver hair and pretty eyes, not to mention that she caught a whiff of her perfume earlier too (she smelled so good it clouded her thoughts for a while), but she gives off that vibe of a rich, snobbish woman who’d only hang out with people of the same class, so no. Definitely not her type. Although she wouldn’t lie that she didn’t get impressed about her reaching this level of success in her early 20s.

 

“Sure thing. She’s undeniably reeking of sex appeal. You even introduced yourself to her, been glancing back at her a lot of times, and now, you just brought her up out of nowhere. Of course you don’t. No way,” the short-haired girl sarcastically remarked further as she lied down the bed and put her hands at the back of her head to rest on.

 

“Okay first of all, I was just being polite. And I just find it amazing and unbelievable at the same time,” Dahyun retorted.

 

“What is? Her beauty or her success?”

 

“Her success! What—“

 

“So you didn’t have a defense for glancing back at her for like, I don’t know, more than ten times? You gotta learn how to be subtle by the way, I think she totally felt every stare you gave her.”

 

Dahyun quickly grabbed on a pillow and strongly chucked it towards Chaeyoung’s face. The latter caught it though, and thanked Dahyun instead rather than engaging to a pillow fight before hugging it.

 

“Fine. I find her attractive, yes, but no, I don’t like her like that.” Dahyun firmly stated.

 

Chaeyoung let out a long yawn before replying. “Whatever you say, Dahyun. Look at Pancakes, she doesn’t buy it either,” She mumbled as she slowly slipped into dreamland. Dahyun glanced at her dog, who’s also sleeping peacefully.

 

Being the only one left awake, Dahyun lied down at the last empty bed near Jeongyeon. Gently putting her earphones on while listening to ballads on low volume, she let sleepiness take over her. As she slowly loses her consciousness, she silently hoped that she’d also lose every thought of the silver-haired girl.

 

\--

 

The week-long beach festival has officially started. As the sun started to set, more and more people had crowded the seaside area, from Jeju residents to local and foreigner guests from all neighboring resorts. The stage’s foundations were submerged underwater, so the stage is a bit suspended on top of the sea, placed in just exact distance from the shore so they can accommodate more audience. The first day’s lineup were mostly local Jeju bands with performances from three idol groups WJSN, Seventeen, and CLC. Each bands and performers were given the chance to perform 3-4 songs for their set.

 

Lying on her bed while cuddling with her pillow, Sana contemplated whether she should go and watch the concert. A part of her wants to loosen up and enjoy the event, but a bigger part of her wanted to just sneak in a little more sleep. She’s been sleeping a lot ever since she came here. Her psychologist says it’s an effect of depression, or maybe she’s just a sleepyhead. Or both.

 

Pushing herself to sit up, she grabbed her laptop and walked over to her table at the outside porch, clad in an oversized white shirt and short beach shorts. She can hear the band starting to perform and the collective cheers from the crowd from here. She had come to a decision to be a total introvert tonight and just probably watch movies and whatnot. Or check her social media accounts. It’s been so long since she logged in on any social media account she has. She was suddenly hit by a feeling of longing for her friends so she quickly opened her Facebook to give her friends a quick “Hey y’all, still alive and kicking in here” message.

 

While scrolling through her inbox which had a lot of unread messages, she stopped momentarily as her eyes landed on a familiar name.

 

She got an unread message from Eunha. She contemplated for a good five minutes on whether she should read it or just leave it unread for the rest of her life. She kept saying no to herself but her hands seemed like they have their own minds as her finger shakily clicked on the message. _So much for self-control, huh,_ she internally smacked herself.

 

And boy, she should probably add that to the list of bad decisions she had ever done in her lifetime.

 

**_Jung Eunha (Feb. 23, 05:34:17PM):_ ** _Hey, Sana. How are you doing? I hope you’re doing well. So uhm, I heard that you went to Jeju for a vacation. That’s really great, you should really take a break from all the stress back here in Seoul. Listen, I know that at some point, our break-up has something to do with your abrupt decision, and I know you told me not to say sorry ever again but I couldn’t help but to feel like I’m responsible and that no amount of apologies will ever compensate with the hurt I’ve brought you. So again, I’m sorry._

 

A blink and a tear.

  
  
_**Jung Eunha (Feb. 23, 05:38:32PM):** But before we entered a romantic relationship, we were close friends first. And we eventually grew as best friends until then. This would probably too much to ask, but I really, really want us to back as friends again. I’m not pressuring you or anything, just… I miss talking to you. I miss our friendship. I miss you._

 

**_Jung Eunha (Feb. 23, 05:42:44PM):_ ** _I really do hope that you’re doing well. Please always take care of yourself, yes? I still care for you, so please don’t hurt yourself in any way. Sorry again for sending you a message out of nowhere, I just need to let it out. I’ll be waiting until you’re ready, Sana._

 

Her sight got blurry as tears started gushing from her eyes. She can barely hear the music from the concert not far away, like her senses are suddenly failing her. That familiar constricting pain in her chest is back. All rational thoughts are once again clouded with a heavy fog of emotions and as if one bad decision for the day wasn’t enough, she clicked on Eunha’s profile to check on her.

 

Her breathing became unstable and her tears became uncontrollable as she stopped scrolling to read the status update.

 

**_Jung Eunha_ ** _is now in a relationship with **Kim Sowon**. _

 

She let out a laugh, a pity laugh for herself, for fucking up whatever progress she has built for months. All of her hard work on moving on has crumbled down to pieces, to dust, and there she is, left vulnerable, and back to square one. Again.

 

As much as she wished that she shouldn’t have seen that, that she shouldn’t have let feelings take over again, it is too late. Two consecutive awfully-made decisions are enough for tonight, and she closed her laptop shut, a bit hard at that.

 

She went to the bar inside the house and grabbed a bottle of vodka and a shot glass from the counter before returning to the porch. She sat down at the wooden chair, pouring a full shot and downing it like it’s nothing but water, embracing the burn lining down her throat. She looked up and stare at the stars, its shine being magnified by the waterworks in her eyes.

 

This is the universe giving her an intergalactic slap of cold, hard reality.

 

So she promised herself not to open any social media for a while, and for the umpteenth time, that she would stay away from anything remotely connected to her again.

 

\--

 

“Idiots. Oh god I swear I’m gonna knock them down. Fucking stupid asses… Not waking me up to go to the festival…” Dahyun continuously cursed under her breath as she swiftly put on her flip flops and grabbed Pancakes before rushing out of the room. She woke up to a not-so-far-away sound of the concert, and her eyes were flooded with nothing but darkness. She blindly searched for her phone on the bedside table, slightly screeching from the offensive light coming from it when she opened it. There were three unread messages from Chaeyoung.

 

**_Chaeyoungie (07:47:23PM):_ ** _Dubu! We’re already on our way to the concert. It’s about to start! Reply if u r already awake or smth_

 

**_Chaeyoungie (08:13:32PM):_ ** _Lol are u still sleeping, WJSN is about to come up on stage! CHENGXIAO IS SUCH A BEAUT_

 

**_Chaeyoungie (08:41:45PM):_ ** _Just text us if u up alr we’re kinda lost in the crowd rn_

 

While waiting for the elevator, she fished her phone out of her pocket to finally give Chaeyoung a reply.

 

**_Dahyunie (09:24:54PM):_ ** _WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T U GUYS WAKE ME UP HOW DARE U LEAVE ME ALONE AND PARTY WITHOUT ME IM SO FEELING BETRAYED RN DO U HEAR??? IM GONNA STRANGLE U BOTH WHEN I COME DOWN THERE_

 

With a big, hard press on the ‘send’ button, she rode the elevator, huffing.

 

“They can’t take a moment to go up the room and wake me up?! Or give me a wake-up call or something?! Why do I have such stupid, inconsiderate friends, Pancakes?” she complained to her dog that only responded with loud, heavy breaths.

 

“You’re better than them. At least you stayed. Well, not that you can get out of the room by yourself anyway…” she alighted the elevator and walked towards the beach.

 

Damn, that’s a crowd.

 

Annoyed, she brought Pancakes down for a while and furiously pressed Chaeyoung’s name on her phonebook to give her a call. She put her other hand on her hips and impatiently waited for the latter to answer her call.

 

“ _Hello? Dubu?”_

 

_”_ Yeah hello, I would like to speak to my friends Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon, the ones who would be kind and thoughtful enough to go up the room, wake me up and not leave me alone!” Dahyun bellowed.

 

“ _Okay—woah, calm your tiddies. We’re sorry Dahyun-ah, Jinyoung oppa told us not to wake you up since you seemed tired earlier. He told us to let you rest.”_

 

_“_ Whatever, I’m not listening to any kinds of lie right now. Where are you?!”

 

“ _Uhm, wait. Can you spot a big inflated beer bottle? We’re near that area. Go and I’ll meet you there.”_

 

“Fine,” she replied with a huff before hanging up.

 

“Pancakes, let’s go—Pancakes?”

 

She looked around her, and her dog was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Oh shit. Pancakes?!” she scrambled, looking around the crowd like a madwoman. How can she be so stupid to let go of her dog, knowing that it could wander off? She smacked herself internally, still frantically looking for the Chihuahua. Waves of relief washed over her as she finally spotted Pancakes, on her way inside a resthouse. She immediately ran off towards the area, but the moment she reached the pathway towards the house, she lost her again.

 

“Damn it. Pancakes! Come here! That’s trespassing!” she whisper-screamed, hoping that her dog would hear her. _Ugh, this wouldn’t do,_ she thought as she finally decided to go inside the premises stealthily, hoping that the owner wouldn’t see her.

 

At some point in her search, she stopped on her tracks as she saw Sana sitting on the wooden chair on the porch, grabbing a shot from the now half-empty bottle of vodka. Slowly, she approached the sliver-haired girl.

 

“Uhm, excuse me, Miss Minatozaki,” She approached quietly and carefully. The girl didn’t seem to hear her so she stepped closer and tapped her on the shoulder. Sana was startled by the sudden intrusion and finally looked up with swollen eyes and drooping eyelids, her tear-stained cheeks colored with a pinkish hue, probably from the alcohol. Sana looked kind of annoyed from the disturbance, since she’s not really in a mood for any kind of social interaction right now.

 

“Hey, uhm, sorry to trespass and interrupt, but my dog ran off inside and I can’t find her anywhere…” she mumbled, gauging the possible reactions she could get from her. It seems like she really came at a bad time since Sana looked like she just cried buttloads of tears.

 

“…”

 

“Uh…”

 

“Whadyusay?”

 

It was slurred but Dahyun understood it just fine.

 

“My dog ran inside your garden, and I can’t find her. Can I ask permission to search for Pancakes?”

 

“Pancakes…” Sana mumbled off.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I don’t have any pancakes in—“ a hiccup. “—kitchen.”

 

Dahyun mustered every bit of patience she has left in every corner of her being and smiled. She’s gonna need a lot of it if she has to talk to this drunk girl for her dog.

 

“No, I mean my dog’s name is Pancakes, and she’s lost in your garden.” She spoke slowly so the girl can finally process what she’s saying correctly. She chuckled lightly when Sana had her mouth open the whole time she was explaining.  
  
 

_Cute._

 

“Oh. I get it now.” Sana suddenly stood up, holding onto Dahyun for support.

 

“You know you can just give me permission and I’ll search for her myself, I think you need to stay on your seat. You’re drunk,” Dahyun worriedly muttered as she held Sana’s waist. She was taken aback when the girl suddenly stood upright and pushed her hands away.

 

“Drunk? Me?! Excuse you,” Sana pointed a finger on Dahyun, offended. “I still can finish this whole bottle by myself and give my dog a bath complete with blow-dry.” She then tried to shake off the intoxication away and straightened herself. “Ugh. Let’s go.”

 

Sana just led the way around her house while Dahyun did all the searching.

 

“Pancakes? Pancakes! Come out now!” she called the little fella out. While still looking around, she didn’t notice that Sana stopped for a while, resulting into a collision, making them both fall over, with Dahyun landing on top of Sana.

 

“Ack!”

 

_Shit._

 

Due to gravitational force, and Dahyun being not exactly a role model for muscle strength and balance, Dahyun fell a bit hard on Sana, her face getting buried in Sana’s neck in the process. She caught a whiff of the girl’s perfume mixed with the smell of liquor and she tried to stop herself just as fast when her thoughts became focused on how intoxicating the mixture of scent is.

 

“Hey.” Sana grunted below her.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Stop breathing on my neck. And get off me, will you?”

 

“Right. Sorry,” Dahyun finally came into her senses and pushed herself up, offering a hand to Sana. It was fortunate that they landed on the soft grass and not the rocky concrete pathway.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked the drunk girl, who’s dusting herself off mindlessly.

 

“Yeah, just help me dust off—“ Sana paused, and looked behind Dahyun’s direction, her eyes grew wide. Curious and confused, Dahyun glanced behind her to see what the drunk girl had seen to elicit such a reaction and gasped.

 

There they saw Pancakes and Waffles… in a rather embarrassing situation. Pancakes was on top of Waffles and was dry humping her from the back.

 

“PANCAKES!”

 

“WAFFLES!”

 

The adrenaline rushed towards Sana’s head, washing out any trace of drunkenness. They both rushed forward towards their pets, who stopped on whatever they are doing because of the sudden intrusion. Sana and Dahyun picked their dogs up and away from each other, with Sana protectively wrapping her arms around Waffles, and Dahyun giving a good round of scolding to Pancakes. Or so she hoped that it’s what it looked like, because she was actually having a hard time suppressing her laughter.

 

“You need to get a hold of your horny dog! She almost snatched my baby’s V-card!” Sana yelled out, constantly petting Waffles and giving her kisses.

 

Now Dahyun can’t help but to let out a little chortle, which earned a glare from the latter. She stopped and cleared her throat before speaking. “Well, uh, first of all, I really am sorry for the whole commotion, and second of all, Pancakes could never steal your dog’s virginity. They’re both females.”

 

“She’s a female?!”

 

“Yeah. Don’t act so surprised though, homosexuality in animals is kinda common so it’s all good and perfectly normal,” Dahyun gave her a reassuring smile.

 

“I could care less if your dog’s a homo or not. Waffles clearly didn’t want any of that! That was harassment!” It may be the alcohol talking, but Sana’s really just this overprotective over her dog. Waffles then tried to claw its way out of Sana’s grasp and jumped off to the ground and ran towards Dahyun’s feet while barking in Pancakes’ direction.

 

“It doesn’t look like that for me,” Dahyun gave Sana a teasing remark, trying to lift the mood up a bit. She thought that the girl might need some based on the puffy eyes. “Waffles seems to want another round.”

 

“Okay, stop!” Sana marched towards Waffles and picked her up. “You have your dog now. Can you leave? I really am not in the mood to talk and argue with anyone.”

 

Dahyun’s teasing mood was suddenly dampened and was replaced with shame, and a little bit of disappointment and sadness from the tone of Sana’s dismissal. She was just trying to light the mood up but it really seemed like she’s in no mood to play around tonight.

 

“Y-yeah. I’m sorry again for bothering you.”

 

“Whatever, just go.”

 

Dahyun just nodded her head and turned around to walk out of the rest house. Upon reaching the end of the pathway, she then gave Sana one last glance, who’s now back at her table, pouring another full shot of vodka. She didn’t know why, and she knew she shouldn’t, but she went up to her and grabbed her wrist, stopping Sana from drinking the liquor, causing some of it to spill.

 

“That’s enough, you’re drunk. You should really take a rest now,” Dahyun softly said, clearly worried about the girl’s state. She doesn’t even know why she was in the first place. Sana forcefully pushed Dahyun’s hand away, irritated.

 

“And who are you to tell me that?”

 

Right. Who was she? What right does she have?

 

Dahyun slowly let go of Sana’s wrists as the realization hit her. Right, she’s just a stranger, who shouldn’t even be in this place. She’s intruding so much now, and it baffles her why she suddenly cared so much. Mumbling a quick apology, she hurriedly left, not minding the slight pang in her chest.


	2. 02.

Sana usually doesn’t get hangovers because she deemed herself as a “responsible drinker” who is well aware of her limits, but when she does, it’s the worst, from the migraine that feels like her skull is being forcefully cracked open, to the annoying tidbits and remnants of memories from the previous night. Normally she wouldn’t mind Waffles waking her up with licks and constant runs and jumps on the bed, but as much as she loves her dog, she just find everything annoying right now. Even the warm feeling brought by the sun’s rays that’s gently kissing her skin is annoying.

 

She marched towards the bathroom to get a nice cold shower. She tried her best to put the puzzle pieces together, and the cold water does its work when she closed her eyes and viewed a flashback in her mind. There was a lot of crying, drinking, and smoking, a black-haired girl, two dogs…

 

_What was that girl’s name again?_

While washing her entire body with soap, she winced when her hand unconsciously pressed against a bruise on her hip near her butt, then she remembered falling. With the girl on top of her. The girl’s face was slightly blurry in her memory, but she does remember her having a pink highlight on her hair. She just can’t put a name on her.

 

She just silently hoped that she wouldn’t bump into her at least for rest of the day.

 

\--

 

“Hey, Dahyun-ah, eat your food. Why are you ignoring this delicious beef that’s been grilled to perfection? You’re totally missing out on this,” Chaeyoung nudged Dahyun’s arm, who’s been spacing out for the umpteenth time now.

 

“Ah, yeah, sorry.” Dahyun snapped back to reality and looked at the untouched food in front of her. Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung were about to finish their plate yet she just started slicing her beef into pieces.

 

“You’ve been acting weird since last night. What’s wrong with you?” Jeongyeon asked with her mouth full, spatting a speck of rice onto Chaeyoung’s face in the process.

 

“Hey! I don’t remember spatting food into someone’s face counts as food sharing,” Chaeyoung irritatingly wiped the rice that stuck onto her cheek and hair. “But yeah, what’s up with you?”

 

Dahyun looked at the two, whose heads are tilted and are silently waiting for her answer. Dahyun just shrugged and went back on munching her food. “Nothing. Maybe not everything in this resort is cool and awesome as I assumed it is,” she bitterly remarked.

 

“Something’s definitely happened with our friend in here,” Chaeyoung concluded. Jeongyeon nodded and stood up and took the other seat closer to Dahyun. “Spill it, Dubu. Don’t miss out on any details, we’re all ears,” Jeongyeon said as she picked one lettuce from Dahyun’s plate and started munching on it.

 

“Fine,” Dahyun sighed. “Just don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”

 

“We promise! Now talk before Jinyoung oppa call us for practice,” Chaeyoung urged, moving closer to Dahyun.

 

“Okay. So, when I was furiously calling Chaeng last night, I put Pancakes down and while we were talking—“

 

“You were shouting at me, actually. I felt your spit through the phone.” Chaeyoung corrected. Dahyun just glared at her before continuing.

 

“—on the phone, I lost Pancakes. Then, I found her enter Miss Minatozaki’s resthouse premises.”

 

“Oooohh,” the two collectively reacted. “So this is about that hot Japanese resort owner. This is so much more interesting now.”

 

“You know what, I’m starting to regret talking to you about this—“

 

“No, just keep talking! We’ll shut up now.”

 

Dahyun pondered for a while if this is going to be worth telling her asshole friends who’d probably tease her for the rest of the trip. But it’s been really bothering her, for reasons she’s not aware of, and she kinda wanna just let it out. She tried ranting to her pet but the fluffball was too busy chewing on her toy to even listen to her.

 

“So, as I was saying, Pancakes ran off to Miss Minatozaki’s garden, and I sneaked inside to fetch her but I saw Miss Sana sitting on her front porch, drinking by herself. She looked upset about something, as explained by her swollen eyes. She looked like she cried liters of tears. I asked permission if I could search for my dog in her garden, but she insisted on going with me and we saw Pancakes humping her dog.”

 

Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung exchanged glances upon hearing the new information, and five seconds after digesting it, they burst out into booming laughs, with Chaeyoung almost falling off her chair and Jeongyeon violently slapping her thigh. Dahyun just sat there, poker-faced, calmly chewing on the remaining piece of meat while waiting for their hysterical moment to die down.

 

“OH GOD PANCAKES—HUMPED—WHAT IN THE WORLD OF LESBIANISM!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, clutching on her tummy. A tear is evidently forming on the corner of her eye. Meanwhile, Jeongyeon was desperately gasping for air.

 

“PANCAKES IS A HOMO JUST LIKE HER OWNER! WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE!“

 

Five minutes has passed and the two don’t have any plans of stopping anytime soon. Dahyun rolled her eyes and massaged her temples. She should’ve followed her gut feeling to not tell them the truth. At least not until they’re back to Seoul. Judging by how they reacted, they’re never gonna be able to keep their mouth shut the next time they bump into Sana.

 

Chaeyoung’s laughing streak finally stop as she stared at something—or rather someone, sitting near the bar. She reached for Dahyun’s shoulder and tapped it quick, which made Dahyun turn around.

 

“What?”

 

“She’s here.”

 

Chaeyoung pointed at the direction of the bar, and there’s the familiar silver hair, sitting on a bar stool with her forehead resting on her folded arms on the counter.

 

_Speak of the devil._

“We gotta leave,” Dahyun commanded, dabbing her lips clean with a tissue before standing up. As they were leaving the table, Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon held both Dahyun’s arms and tried to push her towards the bar. Sana’s back was facing them so fortunately, Sana wasn’t aware of the chaos that’s going on behind her.

 

“What the—stop! I’m going to kill both of you! Stop!” Dahyun whisper-screamed while fighting back, trying to get out of the two’s grip but she’s not exactly someone who has a great muscular strength.

 

The bartender who was serving Sana a hangover smoothie saw them and naturally, he got curious so he spoke. “Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?”

 

Dahyun finally got rid of the two’s tight grips and straightened herself. “No, nothing. We’re good—“

 

The three froze for a moment when the silver-haired girl twisted her chair around to see what the commotion’s about. She looked at them half-lidded and confused, but her glance stayed longer at Dahyun’s face.

 

“Hello, what can we do for you?”

 

“Nothing, really. We are just playing around, that’s all.” Dahyun nervously chuckled while trying so hard to shield her face with her hair, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Her hands ran through Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung’s backs and she gave them a quick hard pinch. The two let out a suppressed scream, while maintaining their awkward smiles.

 

“Ooookay…” Sana replied. “Oh wait, you’re Resonance, right?” she asked, suddenly remembering the familiar trio.

 

“Yes! Yes we are,” Jeongyeon responded with a grin. “If you can remember, our Dahyunnie here last night was—AH!“

 

Dahyun cut off whatever Jeongyeon’s about to say about her by pinching a little skin on her under arm. “Actually, we have a practice to go to so see you when we see you, Miss Minatozaki.”

 

Sana now remembers her name. “Wait,” she quickly said before they can even move an inch. “By any chance, did I uh… bump on you last night?”

 

All eyes were suddenly shifted towards Dahyun, who can only smile in shock and a little bit of nervousness. _So she did remember,_ she thought to herself.

 

“So we’re gonna go upstairs to prepare some of our stuff. We’ll just wait for you there, Dahyun!” Chaeyoung abruptly pulled Jeongyeon towards the door before Dahyun can think of a move to stop them from going. Dahyun sent them one last glare on their way to the door and just received two annoying grins back.

 

Dahyun turned her attention back to Sana. “Yes. My dog ran inside your garden. I apologize for the intrusion, Miss Minatozaki. It was so irresponsible of me.”

 

“No, it’s okay,” Sana reassured. The memories from last night started to come in bit by bit, and as she remembered the part where she lashed out, she rubbed her nape in shame. “I’m the one who should be sorry for shouting at you like that. Ah, I’m so ashamed of treating a guest like this,” she facepalmed herself. This is why when she wants to get wasted, she prefers to do it alone or just with her friends whom she trust enough to handle the upcoming wreck that she’s going to be. “I’m so sorry, Dahyun-sshi.” She stood up and gave her a 90-degree bow.

 

“Please don’t! Seriously, it’s nothing,” Dahyun held her shoulders and pulled her up.

 

“Can I repay you in any way for my misbehaviour? Anything. This guilt might sit on my chest longer if I don’t do something in return,” Sana imposed. She doesn’t like it when she does something wrong with a person and not do something about it, no matter how much they say it’s already okay.

 

Dahyun pondered for a while. Earlier this morning, she read from the news that there’s an upcoming meteor shower this Friday midnight. Ever since she was a child, she had always dreamt of seeing a shooting star but no matter how often she goes out at night and stargaze, she still hasn’t seen one. In the 20 years she’s been alive and breathing in this world, not a single shooting star was witnessed by her own eyes.

 

When she entered Sana’s resthouse last night, its beautiful modern style of architecture left her in awe, but the rooftop particularly caught her eye. Her vision isn’t exactly clear but she saw a glimpse of a telescope. She always wanted one, but her band is just a year old in the music scene and she has a lot more stuff to prioritize on, which includes rent, food, clothes, guitar maintenance, and all other shit she has to pay for her to continue living. She also sends a huge part of her income to her family so she can barely save some for herself.

 

“Well, if it’s the only way to get rid of the guilt, then…” Dahyun trailed off, gauging if what she has in mind is just right to ask.

 

“Yes?”

 

“You have a telescope, right?”

 

\--

 

When she entered the room, she saw Jeongyeon with her headphones on, already warming up her voice for practice, while Chaeyoung was practicing beats on her cajon, making adjustments if needed. She shut the door close and cleared her throat, hoping to gain the attention of the two, but to no avail. She tried to clap once, with sound just enough for a normal person to finally look up, but even that didn’t do the trick. Jeongyeon couldn’t probably hear her from the headphones, and Chaeyoung, well, she’s _Chaeyoung._

 

“Yah, you two!” Dahyun yelled, and at last, earning two uninterested glances. “How dare you leave me in such awkward position in there earlier?”

 

“Save the nagging, Dahyun-ah,” Jeongyeon monotonously replied, diverting her attention to the lyrics sheet she’s holding. She’s been practicing their cover of Nell’s ‘Good night’. It’s the first song they’re going to perform, and is one of her favourite songs, so she decided to focus extra hard on it. Not with the lyrics though, because she’s already memorized it by heart, since Nell has been very inspirational for her ever since she was in middle school. She grew up listening to them. “Jinyoung oppa’s about to come up, so you better go tune your guitar.”

 

Dahyun just huffed and marched towards the bedroom, not without throwing a crumpled paper at Chaeyoung’s face. The latter was startled, losing her trance, and looked up, only to see an opened door.

 

“Really? This is how you thank us for pushing you to finally have a decent conversation with your crush?” Chaeyoung yelled and laughed when she heard Dahyun grunt. She stepped out of the bedroom, clutching at her wine-colored Fender acoustic guitar, while holding a digital tuner on her other hand.

 

“You expect me to thank you for ditching me? For the second time this week? You’re unbelievable,” Dahyun shook her head and sat on the couch. She rested her guitar on her right leg, hugging the guitar closer with her right arm while she attached the digital tuner and began tuning each string.

 

Chaeyoung stood up giving a soft laugh and moved at the opposite end of the couch. “So, how’d it go with the not-so-sweet Japanese girl?”

 

Her eyes just automatically rolled themselves because she knows that whenever she shares anything concerning Sana, they’re gonna annoy her to death with it and what’s pissing her off more is that they enjoy doing with passion, the earlier scenario playing as one evidence out of many other things. Like their very existence are solely for teasing Dahyun off.

 

“Nothing. So piss off and don’t bother me.”

 

Chaeyoung clutched on Dahyun’s arms and cutely frowned in front of her face. “C’mon! I swear whatever it is, I won’t say or do anything about it. Maybe I can even give you an advice.”

 

She squinted her eyes towards the unwavering attempt of aegyo from the younger girl. She gotta admit to herself, though, that no matter how it irritates her when they tease her to death, they are still her friends and despite all the times they get on her nerves, at the end of the day, it’s just a part of the dynamics of their friendship. Besides, if she doesn’t share it with them, it would look like a much bigger deal than it actually is. _Well, it’s not a big deal, right?_

 

Sighing, she settled her guitar down before speaking. “I apologized to her for entering her house and disturbing whatever moment she’s having last night, and she apologized to me for raising her voice on me and all. Then she asked if she can do any favors for me because she still feels guilty, so I did.”

 

Jeongyeon, who just finished listening to a song, removed the headphones perked her head up, her attention also now on Dahyun. “What’d you asked for? A kiss?”

 

Her face suddenly met a flying cushion that was hurled towards her by Chaeyoung. “Not now, Jeong! She might not continue! Teasing is for later,” she winked. “So, what did you do?”

 

“I saw a telescope in her rooftop and I heard from the news this morning that there’s going to be a meteor shower on Friday midnight, so I asked if I could use it. She said yes, and she asked if you guys want to watch it with us too.”

 

“Hmm,” Jeongyeon checked her nails out while thinking. God, her nail polish’s already getting chapped off. “First of all, that’s smooth. I’d give you five points for that.”

 

“What—“

 

“Five? Be generous, Jeong! I’d give you an eight for that, Dubu,” Chaeyoung gave her a thumbs up before patting her back. “Way to go!”

 

Dahyun shrugged the girl’s hand off and groaned. “Guys, stop thinking that I asked for that just to make a move because it’s totally not! I haven’t seen a shooting star ever since the beginning of my time and I just thought, maybe I could capitalize on the situation. And she offered and insisted, anyway.” She pinched between her eyebrows and sighed. “So, are you guys coming with us?”

 

Before the two could answer, the door clicked and opened wide, revealing Jinyoung with Pancakes in tow. He took her for a walk around the beach while waiting for the girls to prepare.

 

“Okay kids, let’s start!”

 

\--

 

The practice went smooth for the most part because there has been slight changes on their setlist. Jinyoung asked the organizers if they can add one more song before the ending, and they agreed since it doesn’t seem to affect the allotted time for the band that much anyway. It wasn’t that much of an adjustment, well, at least for Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon.

 

“But why, Jinyoung oppa? I mean—we have Jeongyeon! Her vocals fit for this song too!” Dahyun continuously whined. Jinyoung’s smile doesn’t wavered though, indicating that not even an overnight of whining would change his mind.

 

“I’ve heard you sing it countless of times, Dahyun-ah. I don’t get why you’re so upset about this.”

 

“But—I only sing it around you… I don’t think I can really perform it in front of a huge crowd. It’s a foreign song, and my English pronunciation is nowhere near perfect, I might just ruin the whole set.”

 

Jinyoung patted her head and held her chin up. “Dahyun, you still have two days to prepare. That’s actually more than enough. I know you haven’t sang in front of a crowd before except singing the backup vocals, but this is a good opportunity for you to widen your horizons as an artist. You’re a great guitarist, but I can also see you on stage as a good vocalist. Don’t hide your voice in a thick cloud of shyness and insecurity. I trust my ears, Dahyun-ah. You have a good voice, and I want you to know that yourself, so you can share it to others.”

 

Dahyun kept mum as she tried to digest all the things Jinyoung just said. Even though Chaeyoung’s in charge of the cajon, she also writes lyrics and plays the drums before too. Jeongyeon’s not just all about clear and soulful voice, but she can also play the violin and piano. Meanwhile, Dahyun’s been stuck for her love in guitars. Yes, she does sing sometimes, to herself in the shower or while doing chores, to her bandmates when they are jamming, but never in front of a crowd, except for the backup vocals because both her and Chaeyoung does it. But this time, she doesn’t know if she can pull it off well, when the spotlight and the eyes and ears of the audiences are all on her. She’s fine staying behind strumming chords in her guitar while Jeongyeon conveys all emotions through her voice.

 

Funny how she’s been a performer for a year now and stage fright is suddenly hitting her.

 

Jinyoung has a point too. Her philosophy as an artist is never to be afraid of sharing your craft to the world. Right now, the only craft she’s confident showing the world off is her talent at playing the guitar, but she never thought that Jinyoung would find her voice as something people are worth hearing. When it comes to music, she looks up to Jinyoung a lot, because not only is he their manager, he is also their mentor.

 

Dahyun just nodded and grabbed her guitar and phone. “Okay, oppa. It’s not that late yet, so maybe I can practice for a bit outside.”

 

Jinyoung threw a fatherly smile at her. The three are more like daughters to him than just a band that he manages. He believed that as an artist and a musicians, he should help them discover a lot more of their talents within them, and it has been always his greatest agenda.

 

“Don’t be out too late, okay?” Jinyoung said as they part ways from the doorway, him going to his room and Dahyun going to the swimming pool at the rooftop. It’s almost 11PM, so she guessed that there wouldn’t be people swimming in there anymore.

 

When she arrived, her hunch was correct. The rooftop was deserted, the waters in the pools only gently being disturbed by the cold breeze. She settles down in a chair and hugs her guitar, with one earphone on her right ear, and started singing and strumming along with the song playing in her phone.

 

For some reason, she has always connected deep within her emotions through this song, and now that she’s been given a chance to perform it in front of others, it means so much more to her now. In the dead of the night, her mellow voice and the soothing sound of her guitar are the only ones that can be heard from the rooftop, the wind only accompanying her with light swooshes on her hair and face.

 

\--

 

Her insomnia is kicking in again.

 

She had tried everything—counting sheep (her eyes didn’t even falter but her soul almost died with boredom), listening to ballads, sometimes switching into a playlist full of nature sounds used for meditation. Nothing worked. She thought of liquor but after what just happened last night, just the sight of it is enough to make her stomach turn.

 

At times like these, Sana goes for a walk, sometimes on her rooftop if she’s feeling lazy, and stargaze. Usually she’d bring Waffles with her, but the mouth breather’s already lying peacefully on her dog bed, its mouth slightly agape, tongue peeking out. She’s almost jealous on how deep the dog has been sleeping because it doesn’t even budge no matter how much she flicks her tongue with her finger. After a while of entertaining herself, she finally stopped because she doesn’t have the heart to interrupt Waffles’ serene figure, who’s probably chasing and running around dreamland now.

 

She pulled her university sweater on and went outside the house.

 

The cold breeze immediately hugged her body the moment she stepped outside the door. She shivered, but continued with light steps anyway. The wind is slightly harsher tonight, as displayed by how her hair’s being tossed from side to side. She should’ve tied it, Sana inwardly grunted. So instead of walking towards the beach, she headed over to the resort instead. Doing rounds could probably do the trick of tiring her body so she can be in a deep slumber later on.

 

She gave short waves and greetings at the staffs she passes by. Some are almost done packing up and closing the establishments inside the resort, others already on their way to the staff lodge. Sana went up to the flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator to roam and check on the floors. As she reached the rooftop near the swimming pool area, she stopped for a while, panting, trying to catch her breath. She looked up and saw one of the doors towards the pool area open. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Pool area’s only available until 10, and it’s already 11:30 on her watch.

 

She carefully treaded towards the door. No one’s swimming, and she was about to just shut it close and lock it when she stopped on her tracks as a certain sound of soft strums from a guitar paired with a mellow voice hits her ears. She did a quick scan of the area, and there she saw a girl with a guitar sitting on a wooden couch near the end of the pool. Her steps were as light as a feather as she slowly approached, avoiding any movement that could possibly disturb the girl. When she was near enough, that’s when she recognized the familiar black hair with pink and orange highlight. She stood behind her, quietly listening.

 

_“So let’s get drunk on our tears and…”_

Sana momentarily froze as her hand accidentally swayed towards the bush beside her. Dahyun halted as she heard a rustle behind, and turned around, only to see Minatozaki Sana awkwardly smiling at her. The shock almost made her fall out her seat, but good thing that she found her balance with her right foot.

 

“Wh—Hi! Uh, what are you doing here?” Dahyuun fumbled, still taken aback by the sudden presence.

 

“I should be asking those questions, Dahyun-sshi,” Sana cleared her throat as she walked towards the wooden couch to sit beside Dahyun. “You shouldn’t be out here at this time. Pool area’s only available until 10.”

 

Dahyun just laughed nervously and rubbed her nape in embarrassment from violating a rule and from the idea of Sana hearing her sing.

 

“I-I’m sorry about that. I should go now then,” she stood up, about to walk away when Sana grasped her wrist.

 

“No, you can stay if you want to. I’m just playing with you.”

 

“But you said this area’s only until 10—“

 

“Yeah, I did, but I am also the owner of this resort so I can change the rules whenever I want. Take a sit, Dahyun-sshi.”

 

She had a point. Dahyun went back to sitting at the other end of the couch, slightly lost on whether she should continue practicing or what. “You can drop the honorifics on me, Miss Sana. There’s no need to address me as such.”

 

Sana let go of her wrist and settled her hands on her legs. “Okay then. You can just call me Sana too. I’ve been meaning to tell you that because I feel awkward about it but I didn’t have the right timing.”

 

They shared a chuckle, followed by a short silence. Dahyun cleared her throat to get rid of the cloud of awkwardness slowly hovering upon them. “So, why are you still awake?”

 

“Can’t sleep yet. You?”

 

“Uhm, I’m still practicing a song. How long were you creeping behind me, by the way?”

 

Sana snorted at the accusation of ‘creeping’. “First of all, I’m not “creeping” up on you. Now to answer your question, I’ve only been there for like a minute before you noticed me. I heard you sing a line. Was that ‘Lost Stars’ by Adam Levine?”

 

“Yeah,” Dahyun shyly answered. So Sana did hear her sing. Heat crept up to her face, mostly settling on her cheeks, giving it a tinge of pink. She hung her head low in an attempt to hide her red face from being seen by the older girl. The body language didn’t go unnoticed by Sana. She chuckled at the cute sight of Dahyun slowly shrinking on her seat.

 

“You’re shy? You’ve been performing in front of lots of people for a long time now and you’re shy?”

 

“W-well, it’s not that—“

 

“Was it because of my presence, then?” Sana teasingly commented. She didn’t mean to play around with the girl but she can’t take back her words now. Plus, Dahyun’s being painfully cute right now. Cute, adorable things are her kryptonite, justified by how whipped she was with Eunha. That girl could literally breathe and Sana would lose her mind.

 

“Woah, that’s a cocky remark you dropped there, Sana,” Dahyun regained her pride and sat up straight. “No, it’s not because of _you._ Just… I haven’t sang in front of other people other than my mom and my close friends. I don’t really sing in front of the audience. Backup vocals are bearable, but I get extremely nervous when I’m asked to sing.”

 

“Hmm,” Sana exhaled through her nose. “Maybe I can help you overcome that fear?”

 

While adjusting a string, Dahyun replied monotonously. “Oh yeah? How exactly are you going to help me?”

 

Sana moved a bit to settle more comfortably, hugging herself closer since it’s getting colder as the time passes by. “Sing to me,” she mumbled.

 

Dahyun leaned closer because she didn’t hear what Sana said clearly. “What?”

 

“I said sing to me. I could use a lullaby right now.” She gets a cushion from the nearby chair and put it behind her head to rest on as she extended her body to lay down the couch. Her toes are slightly touching Dahyun’s left leg, and she decided to rest them there.

 

The black-haired girl let out a light laugh. She can’t believe that Sana’s just really going to ask her to lull her to sleep when she just said that she gets extremely nervous singing around strangers.

 

“This is your idea of helping?”

 

“Yes. It’s going to be a win-win situation. There’s no way you’re gonna get rid of that stage fright you have unless you try singing in front of a stranger like me, and then in return, I’m gonna get my sleep. Great deal, right?”

 

A deep sigh was all Dahyun could answer to the older girl. She adjusted her guitar to her comfort, playing random chords to check if it’s correctly tuned.

 

“Okay. What song do you want?” Dahyun faced towards Sana’s direction.

 

Sana sandwiches her hands between her head and the pillow while she looked at Dahyun. “Anything you have in mind, I wouldn’t care.”

 

“Alright, then.” Dahyun swallowed a lump that’s been forming on her throat. Her hands are shaking, and she can feel her heart banging on her chest, her skin burning from the stare the other girl’s giving her. She can’t even glance at Sana because the way she’s looking at her makes her feel naked and vulnerable. There’s something with the way Sana gazes at her, and it makes her feel nervous and comfortable at the same time. She doesn’t know how could that be possible, but with Sana, it just is.

 

Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead despite the fact that the temperature’s a bit chilly. She gathered all her focus towards the guitar instead. Dahyun takes a deep breath and exhaled as she started strumming the first chord.

 

_Baby Blue Eyes_

_A Rocket To The Moon_

 

 _My eyes are no good, blind without her_ __  
The way she moves, I never doubt her  
When she talks, she somehow creeps into my dreams  
She's a doll, a catch, a winner  
I'm in love and no beginner  
Could ever grasp or understand just what she means

There’s something by the way Dahyun sings every word in the song. Every syllable, every intonation, she hits it with such softness that Sana has never heard of. She knew the song, and yes, Nick Santino nails the song, but she could ditch the original version for this version of Baby Blue Eyes anytime of the day. Sana wasn’t even aware that her lips are slowly curving upward as she watches Dahyun who’s so into her strumming and singing.

 

 _Baby, baby blue eyes_ __  
Stay with me by my side  
'Til the mornin', through the night  
Well baby  
Stand here, holdin' my sides  
Close your baby blue eyes  
Every moment feels right  
And I may feel like a fool  
But I'm the only one, dancin' with you  
  


Dahyun paid Sana quick glances now and then. She can’t settle at looking right through the eyes just yet. Especially when she’s smiling at her now. The unmoving waters of the pool suddenly became a thing of interest for her eyes to concentrate on as she continued singing, the English lyrics coming out of her mouth almost naturally since she’s known the song for years, enough to mask the anxiousness that’s been eating her. She tried again, and this time, as if a sudden connection was made, Dahyun looked into Sana’s slowly drooping eyes. She’d probably never find an explanation for how the same set of eyes can make her shiver, yet make her calm.

 

Finishing the song with a last strum, they shared a short-lived taciturnity until Dahyun finally spoke.

 

“So, what do you think?”

 

She clutched her hands tight as she uneasily waited for a feedback. What if she didn’t like her voice? What if she just bored her to death? What if she’s actually inwardly laughing at her right now? What if—

 

“Sing me another song before I give a comment,” Sana’s body shifted, straightening her legs beside Dahyun.

 

“But—ugh. Fine.”

 

This time, she picked to sing ‘Lonely Night’ by Kim Taeyeon, one of her favorite Korean artist. She sang in a slow-paced manner, her clear, smooth voice unwavering. Sana doesn’t get how Dahyun could be possibly ashamed of this voice quality that she possesses. By every strum of the string Dahyun’s fingers make, and every lyrics Dahyun croon, her eyelids started to get heavy. As Dahyun approaches the last chorus, Sana was already fast asleep, wearing a small smile on her face.

 

 _I should wake her_ , Dahyun thought. It wouldn’t be good to let her sleep here out on the cold. The temperature will drop noticeably in the wee hours of the night so Dahyun carefully stood up and placed her guitar on the side of the wooden couch. She moved closer towards the girl, reaching out to tap her shoulders, but the tranquility of Sana’s face made it difficult for her to move. The next second, she just found herself studying every feature of the girl’s face, from her perfectly shaped eyebrows, long eyelashes, down to her stunning nose and lips. The view was definitely breathtaking.

 

It escapes her how someone could possibly look this beautiful.

 

She snapped back to reality when she felt the girl shift. Out of instinct, she jolted up and faced away from the peacefully sleeping girl. There’s no way she’s gonna let herself get caught staring at her. Many would find the whole ‘staring at someone sleep’ scenario as sweet and romantic, but for Dahyun, it’s just straight up creepy, that’s why she cursed herself for doing so. She glanced back at Sana, relief washing over her as she once again saw her serene figure. Without any more hesitation, she gently tapped the girl’s shoulder to wake her up. It was a bit hard a first, since she just discovered that Sana wasn’t exactly a light sleeper, so she gave her a light shake on the arm instead. Luckily, Sana finally woke up, slowly fluttering her eyes open.

 

“You can’t sleep here. C’mon, let’s get you home.”


	3. 03.

It was one fine Friday afternoon. The last day for the music festival has come, and as the weekend approaches, more people were expected to come watch and party with the bands and idol groups as the event comes to an end. The production team have started early in setting up, since the line-up for the last day was more jam-packed compared to previous days. The program starts earlier too.

 

With quick but careful steps, Sana walked towards Resonance’s room door, a tray of milkshakes and plates of cheesecakes steadily on her hand. A faint singing voice can be heard from behind, and some random guitar strumming. She placed the tray down a nearby table and knocked, the sounds halting for a while.

 

“Oh, hello Sana-sshi! What can we do for you?” Jeongyeon answered the door, with Chaeyoung tip-toeing to peek from behind.

 

“Hi. I hope I didn’t interrupt your practice; I’ve come to bring some refreshments while you prepare.” Sana gave them a smile and gently handed the tray to Jeongyeon.

 

“Ah no, it’s not a problem! Especially since you’ve brought us this! Hehe, you shouldn’t have,” Jeongyeon said, passing the tray to Chaeyoung and asking her to bring it inside. “Wanna come in?”

 

Sana was about to refuse, but then she heard that familiar voice she’s been searching for all day. “AH! MILKSHAKE! MY FAVORITE! Did you order this?” a squeal was heard, and she was certain that it was from Dahyun.

 

Jeongyeon ushered Sana inside, kicking the unnecessary things scattered along the way. They tend to be a little bit messy when preparing, no matter how much Jeongyeon scolds the two kids for not keeping their place neat. She picked a bag of empty Chinese noodle boxes, and takes note of reprimanding Chaeyoung later. She was supposed to throw it half an hour ago.

 

“Hello,” Sana awkwardly greets, two heads immediately looking up towards her. Dahyun’s continuous slurping suddenly stop at the presence of the unexpected guest.

 

“Oh, Sana! I’m sorry you’ve come to visit to see all this mess,” She stood up, picking up the cushions lying on the floor and tossing them to the bed, the last one being tossed towards Chaeyoung’s annoying grin with greater force. Jeongyeon went inside the other room to clean a bit and start prepping.

 

“So,” Sana sat on the edge of the bed. “How’s the practice going?”

 

“Ah, it’s going great. We’re just running through our setlist over and over so we don’t mess up the flow.” Dahyun replied, reaching out for the milkshake and taking a huge slurp from it. “I don’t remember us ordering this but you didn’t have to bring it to us, I know you’re pretty busy yourself too.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine. And it’s on me, so don’t worry about paying for it. Thought I could treat you all with a little gesture for being such great guests. Plus I heard from the barista that you’ve been ordering milkshake every day since you’ve got here.”

 

“That’s so nice of you!” Chaeyoung said, setting aside her cajon before dipping herself on the bed next to her. “You know, I gotta say we are grateful of you for helping our Dahyunnie here overcome her stage fright,” she pats on Dahyun’s shoulders. “She’s been inspired and motivated lately.”

 

It takes Dahyun a lot of willpower not to grab a duct tape and cover Chaeyoung’s entire mouth with it. Instead, she just chuckled in response, not without throwing a glare towards her way of course.

 

“Yeah, uhh, our jamming sessions with you has been pretty helpful, hehe…” Dahyun tried her best to play it cool and just act normal, but that little giggle that went out from her mouth was a little bit embarrassing. She mentally slapped herself.

 

Sana beamed brightly upon hearing the information. “Well, I’m glad to hear that! Dahyun’s been helping me too; I’ve been having trouble sleeping the past few days. Her soft voice never missed a beat to lull me to sleep.”

 

Dahyun’s face became immediately heated up, the warm feeling focusing on her cheeks and ears. She hopes it won’t be too noticeable, but it’s kind of hard to hide because of her milky white skin. Ah, she shouldn’t have tied her hair up.

 

Chaeyoung cackled, obviously enjoying seeing how flustered Dahyun was. “Ah, isn’t our Dahyunnie cute? She gets really shy every time she receives a compliment.” Sana shared a chuckle with her.

 

“Well, I gotta go prepare,” Chaeyoung stood up, giving Sana a quick smile and playfully patted Dahyun’s head. “I’ll leave you guys for a while to talk.” She said as she walked towards the room and closed the door.

 

“Ah, I’m seriously gonna beat that kid up later…” Dahyun mumbled.

 

“Why? Did she do anything?” Sana grabbed a cushion to hug, her head tilting a bit while she observes Dahyun making adjustments to her strings.

 

“She practically teases me with every pretty girl she sees,” Dahyun mindlessly replied. “She enjoys it a little bit too much. I swear I’m gonna get my revenge soon.”

 

“Oh, so I’m pretty then?”

 

Crap.

 

“Ah—I—of course! Of course you are,” Dahyun didn’t dare to even bring her head up and face Sana, because she’s pretty sure her entire face looked like a goddamn tomato.

 

Sana did notice—how Dahyun’s ears went red and cheeks tinged with a shade of pink. She wanted to tease her but figured that she might get extremely shy and she doesn’t want that to affect her performance later.

 

“Thank you. That’s nice to hear,” Sana places the cushion properly on the other end of the bed before shuffling to stand up. “I guess I gotta go. I shall let you guys prepare now.”

 

Dahyun finally brought her head up and settled her guitar on the side to walk Sana to the door.

 

“Thank you again for the refreshments and desserts, Sana. We’ll eat them happily.”

 

“No problem. Good luck with your performance later. Don’t be too nervous, okay?” Sana threw one last grin and a pat on Dahyun’s shoulders before walking towards the elevator. Dahyun was left there, holding the door while watching Sana’s retreating form.

 

Her words of encouragement were all she needed.

 

\--

 

Crowds have started to gather as the lights and sounds staff played random playlists to signal that the event’s about to start. People were queueing on bars and stalls to buy refreshing drinks and foods and snacks, some already starting to buy cases of beers and other hard liquors that can last until the wee hours of the night before settling down on their preferred areas. Kids playing and swimming in the beach side still continued with creating their sand castles even though people passing by would always knock them down.

 

Loud collective cheers from the audiences were heard when the MCs have started warming the up with their introductions. Not so long after, they’ve finally kicked off with the first set of performers, three bands, one idol group, and a DJ right after. As the sun started to set, people became louder and wilder, as if they reserved all their energy from the previous nights for this night.

 

Sana was never a fan of crowds. Just the thought of bumping into loud, smelly, sweaty people is enough for her to dislike it. That’s why she rarely goes to extremely packed concerts. Concerts with proper seats are fine, though. Nothing can make her come to the moshpits, not even her friends, not even when they guilt-trip her so hard, especially her best friend, Momo. That girl can make her agree with almost anything, but not crowds.

 

Yet here she was.

 

She looked at the setlist brochure she’s holding once again. According to the piece of paper, Resonance will go up after two more performers, one performer already halfway through his set. Sana checked her wrist watch. She could still go back to her resthouse and wait until it’s already their turn, but she’s afraid that she might miss it, so she gathered all her will and patience to wait. She’s already finished two bottles of cold beer, and so she went into a nearby drinks and snack booth to buy another one.

 

It was more than half an hour of waiting, but to Sana, it felt like years. She tried her best to enjoy the bands’ performances, she really did. Maybe the bands’ genre wasn’t just really her thing.It wasn’t after five minutes that the MCs climbed the stage once again to thank the performers and the sponsors of the event. When they started to hype the audiences once more for the last set of performers, Sana took two big gulps from her bottle of beer before inching a bit closer to the stage, not minding whether she’ll be crowded of other people later anymore.

 

“Let’s welcome the next band to grace us with their acoustic renditions, Resonance!”

 

The lights dimmed as the cheers from the crowd grew bigger. Sana raised her bottle along with the others as the spotlight hit Jeongyeon when she started singing the line of their first song, followed by the other lights that finally shone upon Chaeyoung and Dahyun.

 

Just ten seconds to the song and Sana’s already mesmerized.

 

Jeongyeon was dazzling with her maroon button down blouse, its front tucked inside a high-waisted white jeans paired with black pumps, her firm and strong voice leaving the crowd in awe. Chaeyoung, on the other hand, was wearing a simple blue plaid with a black tank top inside, a ragged jean shorts and a pair of classic black Vans. She totally looked cool bobbing her head with the beat while tapping rhythms in her cajon.

 

Then there’s Dahyun.

 

Sana doesn’t even know where to begin describing her at that point. A dirty white cropped tank top, the wide garter of her black sports bra peeking out a bit underneath when she moves the slightest, a red button down long-sleeved blouse tied around her waist, with washed out black jean shorts paired with an overused Converse. Her hair was tied up on a bunso she can clearly see Dahyun’s ear piercings that she hasn’t noticed the previous days. She just wanted to stare at her while Dahyun aimlessly looked through the crowd while her right hand focused on strumming her acoustic guitar with such grace, her left hand switching chords as if she can play them even with her eyes closed the whole time. And that’s how Sana realized that Dahyun has gorgeous slender hands.

 

They look fine to hold.

 

Oh, and another realization was that Dahyun’s effortless charms have a little too much effect on her.

 

Their song performances have gone smoothly, taking a little break to introduce themselves properly and hype the audiences while they get ready for the next batch of songs. Sana might’ve screamed a little too loud when Dahyun introduced herself.

 

They performed two more songs before the stage lights went out. The crowd waited eagerly for what’s to come next, others asking if the set’s already done (and why it was ended too abruptly), and just a moment after, the collective cheers filled the area when a spotlight focused on Dahyun sitting on a wooden stool, the red blouse now worn, her hair now loose with big wavy curls.

 

“Hello everyone. Once again, thank you for watching and cheering for all the performers and artists on tonight’s festival. Our last song is gonna be sung by me, and it’s actually my first time to sing in front of such awesomely huge crowd, so I hope you enjoy and sing along if you want to. This song’s called ‘Lost Stars’ by Adam Levine.”

 

She crossed her legs as she placed her guitar on her thigh, adjusting the mic a bit before tapping the starting beat then beginning with the first strum of the song and the cue for the instrumental Jinyoung made for the cover to go with her guitar.

 

_Please don’t see just a girl caught up in dreams and fantasy_   
_Please see me reaching out for someone I can’t see_   
_Take my hand let’s see where we will wake up tomorrow_   
_Best laid plans sometimes are just a one-night stand_   
_I’d be damned, Cupid’s demanding back his arrow_   
_So let’s get drunk on our tears, and…_

 

The crowd has started singing along on the chorus with her while waving their hands up in the air along with the rhythm. She knows she’s only met Dahyun for five days, but the feeling of pride sat on her chest as she watched howDahyun, previously very timid with her singing, make a connection with her audience. She didn’t even notice the curved smile she had on her lips. Dahyun’s eyes glimmered at the positive response, delivering the next lines with such emotion.

 

 _I thought I saw you out there crying_  
 _I thought I heard you call my name_  
 _I thought I saw you out there crying_  
_Just the same_

 

The crowd continued with the waving up until the last chorus, only now they had their phones on their hand, making a small sea of white light illuminating the area. Despite the huge crowd and the lights obstructing her view a little bit, Dahyun has managed to find Sana among them, their eyes making contact with one another. She doesn’t know what it is, but neither one of them broke the contact, not even Dahyun who, just days ago, can’t look directly into Sana’s eyes while singing without feeling nervous. It was as if they’re communicating—whatever it is is yet to be cleared, but it’s there, continuously growing every passing second, every syllable Dahyun sings.

 

_But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?_

 

The crowd clapped and cheered once again when the song ended, as Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon joined her on stage to wrap their set up. Sana quickly went near the small gate where performers go through to wait for them.

 

“Hey!” Sana waved as she spotted the trio with their instruments. Chaeyoung immediately tapped the girls’ shoulders to point at her direction when she saw her.

 

“Congratulations! That’s was such an awesome set! Great job guys,” Sana said with enthusiasm as she turned to Dahyun. “Especially you, Dahyun-ah.”

 

Sana felt happy seeing the obvious joy in Dahyun’s face, her smile breaking into a wide grin upon hearing the compliment for her work.

 

“Thank you, Sana.”

 

All of them flinched when the sudden boom of music went out from the huge speakers behind them.

 

“I’m gonna go deaf in here!” Chaeyoung yelled, her hands doing its best to cover her ears.

 

Jeongyeon threw her hands around Chaeyoung and Dahyun before shouting. “Let’s go back to the resort, our food’s already waiting!”

 

\--

 

Sana began adjusting the telescope while looking at the sky map on her phone to focus it on Saturn. It’s already a bit near to the horizon, so Dahyun and her friends better hurry washing up so they can see how magnificent its rings are. While adjusting the eyepiece, she heard the bell ring and scurried down the stairs to the front door quickly, Waffles following her closely.

 

“Hello! We brought snacks from the convenience store nearby!” Chaeyoung said, holding up a bag of chips on her hand. The house was filled with Waffles’ relentless barks because of the unfamiliar faces, or maybe because she saw Pancakes on Dahyun’s arms. “I also brought my guitar, just in case we wanna jam a bit later.” Dahyun added, pointing at the guitar slung on her shoulder.

 

“Ah, you shouldn’t have, I have plenty of snacks here but thank you. Also for bringing Waffles a playmate too.” Sana smiled and walked them in. Dahyun let Pancakes go and she immediately ran towards Waffles and began playing.

 

“They really like each other, huh.” Dahyun muttered.

 

“Yeah, it seems. Let’s go to the rooftop, I got the telescope focused on Saturn right now. You better check it out.”

 

Dahyun’s eyes immediately gleamed with excitement, and Sana had to fight back a giggle because the enthusiasm is clearly written all over her face in bold, capital letters.

 

Sana picked up a tray and put a bottle of Tequila and other drinking essentials on it before going up. Waffles and Pancakes were too busy playing around the living room. They’ll probably go upstairs later.

 

“Damn, you’ve got a really nice resthouse.” Jeongyeon commented as they checked the place out. The interior design was simple yet sophisticated—an image that reflects its owner as well.

 

“Thank you. I helped in designing some minor details but it’s all thanks to my best friend. She’s an interior designer.” Sana was holding onto the tray so Dahyun offered to slide the door open and the cold breeze greeted them gently, the red curtains swooshing lightly. The roof deck has a wooden floor, the couches near a barbecue grill and a small bar under a small slanted roof. There was a complete sound system on it too, Sam Bruno’s ‘Search Party’ already playing. It was spacious enough to hold small parties. Sana settled the tray on the coffee table.

 

“Where’s sir Jinyoung? I also invited him in this mini after-party for your band.” Sana asked.

 

“Ah, he’s already sleeping. Y’know, aging.” Chaeyoung teased, which earned a laugh from Dahyun and a light smack from Jeongyeon. They sat on comfortable positions, with Sana and Dahyun occupying the long couch while the two sat on the single couches on each end.

 

“You can play whatever song you wanna play there later, the aux cord’s all yours.” Sana pointed at the speakers behind them and started filling up the four shot glasses. Jeongyeon took one shot glass and raised it up in the air. “Here’s for more years to perform with Resonance! Congratulations to us! Cheers!”

 

“Cheers!” All of them followed before downing the liquor in one go. Dahyun’s face scrunched as the liquor’s heat lined up her throat, grabbing a piece of lemon from the plate quickly.

 

“Sorry, our Dahyunnie here isn’t really that much of a drinker, so expect her to be dead after five more shots.” Chaeyoung informed Sana, who only laughed while watching Dahyun sucking on the lemon with such fervor. She then threw the piece of lemon to Chaeyoung’s face after.

 

“Ugh! Gross! Why do you like throwing things to my face?!”

 

“No idea.” Dahyun nonchalantly replied.

 

“Hey, wanna try looking at the telescope? Saturn might be gone soon,” Sana asked, walking towards the telescope to check once again. The others followed behind, feeling eager to see the planet as well. Especially Dahyun.

 

“Here, look,” Sana let Dahyun peek through the eyepiece, and a smile broke on her lips as she saw Dahyun’s jaw drop.

 

“Woah! It’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen it THIS close before! Oh my god! Wow, this—breathtaking, amazing…” Dahyun kept on muttering words of amazement, not letting go of the eyepiece despite Chaeyoung trying to push her aside.

 

“Hey! My turn! I wanna see!” Chaeyoung exclaimed. Sana went to the audio player to change the playlist, letting the three play with the telescope. Jeongyeon, knowing that these two are not gonna let go of the telescope anytime soon, joined Sana instead.

 

“Sana-sshi, thank you for this by the way.” Jeongyeon said, placing her elbows on the small bar while leaning on it. “We should be the one treating you drinks and all, considering how nice and welcoming you were.”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing, and please just call me Sana.” Sana responded after changing the song. “It’s been a while since I socialized with any visitors actually. Pretty nice to talk to people I’m on good vibes with after so long.”

 

“Why? Where are your friends anyway?”

 

“Oh, they’re in Seoul. We talk over the phone sometimes, but I know they’re busy with their own lives and stuff so I don’t bother them much. And uh, I also tried to distance myself from some people, that’s why I’m here.” Sana grabbed the bottle of Tequila to pour two shot glasses and handed Jeongyeon one.

 

“I see,” Jeongyeon nodded, taking in the shot. “Seoul took a toll on you?”

 

“Hmm, something like that.” Sana chuckled while watching Dahyun and Chaeyoung take turns with the telescope like two five-year olds. “They’re cute.”

 

Jeongyeon scoffed at the compliment towards the two. “They may be cute, but try to live with them and you’ll experience a taste of what hell would probably feel like. I always have to keep those two in check. I’m always the victim of their annoying pranks, always cleaning up their messes…” She sighed. “But I gotta say, they might look and act immature but they’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had in my years of existence in this world. They’re more mature than they look.”

 

“I can totally sense that, that’s why I’m comfortable around the three of you,” Sana replied. “Your friendship really shows on your band’s chemistry especially when you perform, and that’s why I can safely say you guys really have a bright future ahead of you.” She poured another shot for the two of them, clinking their shot glasses before downing another.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Sana! Can you please fix the telescope? This dumbass zoomed it close!” Dahyun shouted for assistance.

 

“I was searching for aliens!”

 

\--

 

After viewing all other heavenly bodies there is to be viewed (which are just basically Saturn and Moon), they went on with drinking while waiting for the meteor shower. Based on the news, it peaks between 2AM and 4AM, and Dahyun can’t stop glancing at her watch. 12:35A.M, it reads.

 

“HA! Add four cards, loser! And uh, color red!” Chaeyoung pumped her fist in the air as she tossed the +4 uno card at the center of the table. Jeongyeon sighed, she has so many cards on her hand already.

 

“You know what, fuck you.” She grumbled through gritted teeth as she heavily took four extra cards from the deck. Her face lighted up when she spotted a “skip” card. “HA! Sorry Sana, you gotta wait for your turn for a while.”

 

“This newly-established friendship was fun while it lasted,” she sighed dejectedly. “Your turn, Dahyun-ah.”

 

“Ah shit, I don’t have any red ones…” She kept drawing from the deck in search for red cards. She’s already down to six cards and to no avail.

 

“At this rate, I’m gonna win this round.” Chaeyoung boasted while fanning her face with her three remaining cards.

 

The game went on for another twenty minutes, with Sana managing to keep up with Chaeyoung, both now holding two cards each.

 

“C’mon! Make it yellow! It’s what I need! Dahyun-ah, I know you have a yellow seven to match that red seven!” Chaeyoung pleaded.

 

“First of all, how dare you peek on my cards? Second, I’ll give you that if...” Dahyun picked up two pieces of lemon slices and handed it to Chaeyoung. “…you make a funny commercial using these lemons. Go.”

 

“You wish! Whatever, do what you want, I’m winning anyway.”

 

“Oh, Chaeng…” Dahyun trailed off as she slowly placed a card on the pile. “You should’ve been nice and just did what I told you. Color blue.” There it was, a gleaming +4 card.

 

“I! HATE! YOU!” Chaeyoung then jumped Dahyun and relentlessly slapped her arm. Sana and Jeongyeon could only laugh at the scene while munching on Cheetos. Suddenly, faint rain drops were heard hitting the roof.

 

“Oh no.” Sana stood up and grabbed the telescope to put in under the shade. The clear night sky present just earlier was covered with gray clouds, obscuring any view of stars.

 

“No, no no no! How can we see the meteor shower now? It’s almost 1AM!” Dahyun exclaimed in annoyance, Chaeyoung stopping her assault of Dahyun’s arm as well. “I’m so unfortunate.”

 

“Karma’s fast, huh.” Chaeyoung snickered, downing the tequila shot reserved for her. “Let’s continue the game and wait.”

 

\--

 

Two hours have passed, and the rain didn’t show any signs of stopping anytime soon. After their fierce UNO battle that lasted almost an hour (with Sana bagging the win, making the other three take two shots each), they chatted and swapped stories with each other before moving the party downstairs because the rain got too heavy and the sound of the droplets hitting the roof overpowered their conversations. Surprisingly enough, it was Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon who ended up being dead drunk, and were already sleeping on the couches in Sana’s living room, bodies splayed rather uncomfortably-looking but it seems like they’re already in deep slumber (they won’t even wake up when Waffles and Pancakes would jump on them and lick their faces) so Sana and Dahyun didn’t mind moving them. The two puppies have also gone to dreamland, probably chasing butterflies.

 

“What a bunch of losers,” Dahyun spat.

 

The two sat on the bar stools and continued to down half of the third Tequila bottle, still waiting for the rain to stop.

 

“Hey, how old are you again?” Dahyun asked in a slurred voice while sucking on a piece of lemon.

 

“Twenty one.”

 

“Twenty one? And you already own a huge ass resort?! God, I feel like such a slacker.”

 

Sana only chuckled. “No, this resort’s not mine. It’s my mom’s. I work as a Finance Officer in one of the branches of my dad’s company in Seoul.” She replied, standing up to get a bottle of beer from the fridge near the bar.

 

“Well, that didn’t help much,” Dahyun muttered while she played with a dog miniature resting on the counter. “Wait, so if you have work in Seoul, why are you here?”

 

Sana popped the bottle open and returned to her seat. “I, uhh… need to get away from Seoul for a while. My dad allowed me to rest here, and my mom asked me to take care of the resort since I’m staying anyway.”

 

“Why? What’s with Seoul? If you don’t mind me asking.”

 

Sana chugged from the bottle before taking in a deep breath. Her psychologist once said that if she wants to overcome a fear, she needs to voice it out so it can lose its power over her, making the acceptance process faster. And if there’s anyone she’d like to talk about it here, Dahyun’s probably the first one that will come up to her mind anyway.

 

“My ex broke up with me after a three-year relationship. It… wrecked me, to the point that it affected my physical and mental health, and it has come to affect my quality of work as well. I kept on forgetting things, always spacing out… that’s why my father told me to take a break for a while. I didn’t want to at first, because I hate it when I’m not doing anything productive, but I figured that it might harm the department I’m handling and at some point it has taken a toll on me too so I followed. It’s what my doctor advised me to do too.”

 

Dahyun just listened attentively, temporarily forgetting about the tequila shot she’s holding until Sana pointed at it. She drank it in one go, not even bothering to grab a lemon and gestured Sana to continue.

 

“And, I just found out days ago that my ex has already got a new girlfriend.” Sana bitterly remarked. “Amazing. Not that I’m bitter or anything, our break up was clean, and I’d like to think that my feelings are withering, but… I just can’t accept the reality yet—that they’re already happy and I’m still here, struggling. It was that day you saw me drunk on my porch.”

 

“Oh…” Dahyun was at loss of words. She’s not good with comforting people, and the only thing she came up with is, “His loss, then.”

 

“Her.”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean, she’s a girl. An ex-girlfriend.”

 

“Oh.” Oh.

 

Well, that was brand new information.

 

“We-well, her loss. I mean, how can she let go of you? You’re beautiful, a literal goddess walking this mortal plane.This face?” Dahyun gestured towards Sana’s face. “Perfect! Not to mention you’re also intelligent, successful, and with a great personality—you’re a whole package! I can’t imagine what was going on inside her mind when she dumped you. If I were her, I’d never let you go.” Dahyun impulsively said, exhaling deeply after she just let out that long-ass compliment in a single breath.

 

It may be the alcohol, but Dahyun might’ve not realized yet the fact that she just admitted to herself that she likes Sana and low-key confessed to her and instead grabbed the bottle to fill her shot glass again.

 

Sana was astounded at the sudden rain of compliments. “Thank you for that, Dahyun,” she chuckled, a blush evident on her cheeks. “But I’m pretty sure she knows all of that. She did love me, I know it, and I felt it, but things just… happen, you know? Like, falling out of love. We can never be a hundred percent certain of our feelings. After all, change is the only thing constant in this world.”

 

Dahyun nodded in understanding. “Right.”

 

They shared a moment of stillness, listening to the soft pattering of rain drops on the glass door beside them. Sana shifted in her seat to face Dahyun, who’s busy poking the grains of salt with her finger.

 

“Have you ever experienced that? Falling out of love?” Sana asked, breaking the silence between them.

 

“Me? Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been in love in the first place…” She replied, and drank the tequila shot on her hand before continuing.“I’ve had a lot of crushes of course, but that’s just that. I don’t consider my “relationships” back in high school as serious either.”

 

“Oh, those relationships that last for two weeks or a few months maximum? Yeah, I’ve had some of those too back in the day,” Sana laughed a little. “I used to fool around a lot, especially in college.”

 

“Not surprised.”

Sana raised an eyebrow at the remark and folded her arms in front of her, acting offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“What? You have a high alcohol tolerance, you look like that person everyone would invite to go to parties a lot. And as I’ve said earlier, you’re gorgeous, so I wouldn’t be surprised if many guys and girls are after you.”

 

“You sure become a bit honest when drunk, huh.” Sana tried her best at maintaining her act and trying so hard not to break into a smile.

 

Dahyun just lazily nodded, her eyelids already droopy from the intoxication and sleepiness combined.

 

“How about now? Are you feeling any better?” Dahyun faced her and asked in a low voice.

 

Sana shifted her focus onto Dahyun’s eyes, looking at them directly as if trying to find the answer deep within those dark brown orbs, and Dahyun returns the gaze with the same intensity.

 

“Yeah. Absolutely.” She replied, a small but sincere smile on her lips. Dahyun smiled back.

 

“Good.”

 

After Sana’s done with her beer bottle, she then joined Dahyun for one last shot before they finally call it a night. There’s no way the rain’s gonna be over soon, they thought. Plus, they were both drunk and sleepy as well. Waffles and Pancakes were already sleeping soundly too, with Waffles lying down her stomach on the carpet and Pancakes finding comfort between Jeongyeon’s arm.

 

“I’ll start cleaning these up. My guest room is cluttered with so many things I’m not using anymore and there was no extra mattress available, so you can take up a space in my bed instead, if that’s fine with you. Don’t worry, I don’t kick in my sleep.” Sana proceeded with collecting the glasses and plates to put on the sink, then continued with picking up empty bottles and bags of junk food, gathering them inside a large brown paper bag before dumping it near the garbage bin outside.

 

Dahyun just silently observed the girl, her eyes lazily following every movement Sana does. Her head started spinning even crazier than earlier before the last shot. She tried standing on her feet slowly, her attempt successful, but as she started moving forward, her legs felt wobbly like they were damn jellies, making her almost fall down. Almost.

 

“Oop! Be careful!” Sana exclaimed, fortunately just in time to catch the younger girl in her arms. Dahyun instinctively flung her arms around Sana’s neck, burying her face onto Sana’s shoulders.

 

“I’m dizzy…”

 

“Alright, let’s get you settled in my room.” Sana carefully turned around and crouched down a bit to give Dahyun a piggyback. Once she’s adjusted to the girl’s weight (Dahyun weighs extremely light, Sana noted), she grabbed Dahyun by her legs before checking if the girl has her arms secured.

 

“Don’t let go, okay?”

 

“I… won’t…” Dahyun mumbled to her neck, her lips a bit too close that it brushes against Sana’s neck every time they move. Goosebumps shot up Sana’s spine. Her neck’s really, really sensitive.

 

The flight upstairs was tiring and Sana had to exert a lot of effort in being careful because Dahyun’s head kept on bobbing sideways, and every time she guide Dahyun’s head back into a more comfortable position, the girl really seemed to enjoy burying her face onto her neck. By the time they reached Sana’s room, her face was painfully red from controlling herself not to get tickled too much by Dahyun’s steady breathing.

 

Sana settled Dahyun down on a chair, making her sit comfortably first. She released a deep exhale, wiping the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead.

 

“Stay here. Keep your eyes open but don’t roam your eyes around too much, and don’t lie down the bed just yet. You’ll get dizzier. Wait for me, I’ll get you a glass of water.”

 

Dahyun nodded before Sana scurried downstairs. She took this time alone to scan the room. Sana’s room is pretty neat and spacious—the huge glass windows stained with raindrops from the outside, a few paintings hanging by the walls painted with white and red, some polaroid films of Sana and some sceneries around Jeju hanging by a string just above her desk. Sana’s room is almost empty even, just like the whole house itself. There’s not much furniture and other stuff one could think a rich person should have, just the necessities. Well, except for the drinking bar near the kitchen and the roof deck, and the telescope Sana owns.

 

She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt sad. A dull pang on her chest was felt when she thought of Sana being alone here for so many months, distancing herself away from people in the prospect of achieving inner peace. It is good, she knows that, but she also knows it was tough for Sana to find for her own way back during those months. It’s funny how she can think of all this while not having a single experience of what Sana had gone through. Maybe she sensed it from the way she talked about it earlier.

 

Her eyes landed on the pair of pillows resting on top of Sana’s bed. How many times have they been stained with her tears?

 

Dahyun was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear the door swing open. The sound of glass making contact with the mahogany desk was what made her snap back to her senses, a confused look on Sana’s face greeting her.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah.” Dahyun replied before bringing the glass of water onto her lips. She didn’t even realize she was that thirsty that she finished the whole glass in just three big gulps, even spilling some of it onto her shirt in the process.

 

“Silly.” Sana let out a chuckle and grabbed the glass from her before pulling out some tissue from the tissue box just beside the desk lamp. “Let me wipe that for you.”

 

Dahyun just sat still while letting Sana wipe the sides of her mouth and her shirt with it.

 

“Your shirt is pretty soaked in the front. You’d be uncomfortable sleeping in that. I’ll get you a fresh one.” The older girl went to her closet and fished out an oversized white graphic t-shirt. “Here. Go change. I won’t look.”

 

She handed Dahyun the shirt before walking towards the glass windows to pull the curtains down, her back facing the latter.

 

“You done?”

 

“I’m stuck.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stuck. Can’t pull it out. Help.”

 

 _It’s okay. You’re both girls. Don’t make it awkward._ Sana thought to herself. It was pathetic of her to get all nervous about such a simple thing. It’s not like she’s purposely gonna strip Dahyun of her shirt. She slowly turned, eyes rooted to the floor and approached Dahyun, whose hands were up in the air, her shirt stuck on her head. Sana laughed at the sight, but quickly fell silent as her eyes fell at the sight of Dahyun’s bare milky abs and black bra. She gulped as she felt her heartbeat quicken its pace. Her fumbling hands helped Dahyun with the shirt and putting on the new one.

 

Sana slaps herself internally for thinking about how solid Dahyun’s abs would feel underneath her fingertips. She immediately dismissed the thought.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Sure. You don’t feel funny or anything? Like puking?”

 

“No. I just want to lie down.”

 

Sana guided Dahyun to the other side of the bed. After waiting for Dahyun to get settled, she went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Stepping out, she grabbed the towel hanging beside her closet to dry her face. After quickly applying a moisturizer on her face, she turned the lights off and approached the bed, taking the other spot. The bed was just big enough for two people. She pulled the blanket over their bodies, and judging by how long the girl’s been quiet, she thought that she’s finally sleeping.

Sana can’t s

eem to doze off though. By the amount of liquor she consumed tonight, she should’ve been dead asleep by the moment her body lands to the fluffiness of her bed.

 

She’s used to sleeping with having an extra pillow to hug. It helps her sleep through her insomnia ever since she was a child. But since there’s only two pillows and Dahyun’s using the other one, she didn’t know what to do. She tried shuffling a few times to find the closest comfortable position, but to no avail. Afraid of waking the girl next to her, she settled with just lying on her back, eyes studying the barely visible bumps on her ceiling.

 

Minutes have passed, and Sana’s mind was still pretty much awake. Suddenly, she felt Dahyun shuffle under the sheets, turning to her side to face her.

 

“Sana.”

 

“Hey,” Sana replied. “Thought you were already sleeping.”

 

“I can’t sleep… cold…” Dahyun murmured.

 

“Oh. Want me to turn the A/C off?”

 

“No. Just…” Dahyun shifted closer. Making Sana a bit taken aback. “Would you mind if I cuddle with you?”

 

Sana didn’t know what to answer for a while, but replied with a simple “sure” seconds later. Dahyun moved closer, resting her head on Sana’s arm, while wrapping hers around Sana’s waist underneath the sheets.

 

Sana allowed her fingers to run through Dahyun’s hair, which earned a soft sigh from the latter.

 

“Better?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Silence engulfed the two of them but not long after, Dahyun spoke again.

 

“Sana?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I hope you can find real happiness soon.”

 

Sana just kept mum, unable to come up with a response at that moment. She looked at Dahyun, the latter also tilting her head up to face her.

 

“And when you do, I hope it lasts for a very long time.”

 

Dahyun went back to burying herself in Sana’s arm and tightens her hug around the older girl’s waist.

 

“You deserve better.” She mumbles for the last time before dozing off.

 

Sana squeezes Dahyun’s shoulder lightly and tightens her hug around the girl as well, and once she heard her steady, even breaths, she whispered.

 

“Thank you. Good night.”

 

Sana slept with a faint smile on her face that night.


End file.
